The Hindu : New Delhi News : Traffic officer shoots driver

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 10, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Traffic officer shoots driver

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 9. A 23-year-old jeep driver was allegedly shot at and injured by a traffic zonal officer at Nangloi in West Delhi today. While the victim, who sustained a bullet injury in the back, has been admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, the zonal officer has been suspended and the area traffic inspector transferred.

The Delhi Police Commissioner, K.K. Paul, said a case of attempt-to-murder has been registered against the Zonal Officer, Anoop Singh, while a case has been lodged against the jeep driver, Surender, for obstructing a public servant on duty. The Crime Branch has been asked to investigate the case to find out the truth behind the incident.

It all happened around 10 a.m. when Surender parked his jeep near Nangloi Chowk on Najafgarh Road. According to him, he returned after drinking water when the Assistant Sub-Inspector Anoop arrived there on his motorcycle and parked it in front of the jeep. Anoop asked Surender to remove his vehicle from there or else it would be impounded, as he had parked the vehicle without authorisation to wait for passengers. Surender then told him that he worked for a travel agency named Muskaan.

This led to a brief exchange of words between the two after which an enraged Anoop allegedly punched Surender. In the melee, Surender, who was sitting on the driving seat of the jeep, claimed that he accidentally pressed the accelerator and as the vehicle was on back gear, it started reversing. Thinking that he was trying to flee, Anoop clung on to the jeep's window and tried to pull Surender out, failing which he took out his service revolver and shot at him. The bullet pierced his back without hurting any vital part.

For his part, Anoop alleged that Surender was going towards Bahadurgarh in his jeep carrying passengers without any authorisation. He tried to stop the jeep when Surender allegedly hit his motorcycle. The driver than reversed the vehicle and fled towards Najafgarh Road near Nangloi Chowk. The police said: "Anoop requested the driver to stop but he sped and hit a bus instead. Anoop then clung on to the jeep's window and tried to stop Surender failing which he opened fire at him."

Earlier today, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range), Satish Chandra, said a cross case of attempt-to-murder had been registered against both Anoop and Surender. However later in the evening the police clarified that the attempt-to-murder case was lodged only against Anoop. Meanwhile, Anoop has been placed under suspension and his service revolver seized. The area Traffic Inspector, Pratap Singh, has also been transferred for negligence in carrying out his duty properly.

A resident of Bahadurgarh in Haryana, Surender is married and has a child. The police said he was operated upon in Sanjay Gandhi Hospital and is now out of danger. It is learnt that the case has been handed over to the Crime Branch for a fair probe into the matter.

In a similar case reported in September last, a constable had shot dead a truck driver after the speeding vehicle allegedly hit his motorcycle at Sangam Vihar in South Delhi. The incident occurred around midnight near Lal Quan More on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road when Constable Anil intercepted the truck driven by Raju Bhandari. Instead of coming to a halt, the truck apparently ran over his motorcycle. An argument ensued between the two following which an enraged Anil shot Raju from his service rifle. Later, he was arrested.

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